The first addition is unfermented juice, known as must, from viognier grapes that have been infected with a benevolent fungus called botrytis. This noble rot reduces the water content in the grapes while magnifying their sweetness and complexity. The second is pinot gris must intensified by a process called dropping fruit, where large clusters of grapes are clipped to amplify the quality of those left behind.

Noble Rot is brewed with pils and wheat malts and fermented with a distinct Belgian yeast strain. It has a spicy white wine body and a dry, tart finish.

L-Light straw yellow, clear, 1/2 inch head little retention yields to a slim whitecap, some noticeable carbonation rising from the bottom of the glass

S-White grapes are noticeable immediately along with some saison yeasty funk, some sour tartness, mild lemon notes, shares similar characteristics with white wine

T-Somewhat follows the nose with a bit of a refreshing punch that is not revealed in the nose.......taste is better than the aroma.........taste has some champagne like qualities, sweet tartness some yeasty esters, grape and lemon

M-Lots of crisp carbonation, light, dry, very refreshing

O-refreshing crisp beer that has a balance of tartness from the grapes and funk from the yeast.......both sweet and sour at times.......probably the perfect sunday brunch beer

Served in a goblet at Ashley's Westland. Two fingers of bubbly head sat atop a pale gold/yellow brew, filled with carbonation. Head dissipates quickly. Smell is sweet, floral. Taste is much the same, sweet grape, with a dry, sort of metallic undercurrent. Pleasant and refreshing. Mouthfeel is much like champagne. Happy I had it, would try again.

Viognier is my favorite white wine so I had to try this beer. The Viognier presents in both the aroma and taste. Like the wine, Noble Rot has a dry finish and is not overly sweet. The Saison fermentation comes through in the finish quite nicely. Whatever hopping was done does not interfere with but only complements the Viognier or Saison aspects, which is exactly what the drinker should expect.

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into two pilsner glasses (shared with the wife).

Poured a nice, clean pale gold with a foamy, 2 finger white head. Smells of wheat, fresh flowes, grapes, and hints of hops. Mouthfeel is dry like wine but with the weight of an ale or lager. Quite sweet, with a slight tartness. No taste of hops whatsoever. Definitely has the dry feel of a red or white wine. Hardly any aftertaste - just slight traces of sweetness.

This is one of the most unique ales I've tried and it was a nice deviation from the traditional saison. I'm not much of a wine drinker, but my wife is. Conversely, she isn't much of a beer drinker. Somehow we both came out enjoying this quite a bit.

L - Great bright gold in color. White head, which would was hard to get big as it was very light. However, a small amount retained very well.

S - Very light with faint notes similar to champagne/sparkling wine. Very light grain and cereal notes.

T - Very little sweetness or bitterness throughout. Works very quickly into sour/acidic like feel, again similar to champagne, which is felt mostly of side of tongue. Finish is lingering which highlights grape-ness.

F - Light/medium feel with a large amount of carbonation which fits the style.

O - This is a very interesting beer, although not extremely complex. Like most DFH brews it is efinitely worth a try, not many products our there to compare it with.